Southwest Mississippi Community College

Southwest Mississippi Community College is a community college located in Summit, Mississippi, in Pike County. Dr. Oliver Young is the college's president.

History

In 1908, the Mississippi legislature enacted legislation allowing counties to establish agricultural high schools. On April 7, 1916, the Pike County School Board voted to establish such a high school. The ideal spot for the new agricultural high school was Godbold's Mineral Wells, located northeast of Summit. Godbold's Mineral Wells, a state and national resort noted for its mineral waters, had outlived its glory years, yet it proved to be the perfect location for an educational facility. On September 3, 1918, Superintendent James Murray Kenna, six faculty members, and approximately forty students began the Pike County Agricultural High School - an institution destined to become Southwest Mississippi Community College. The original campus consisted of classroom buildings, dormitories, and a comprehensive farm, including dairy, beef, and row-crop operations.

The agricultural high school first offered college work in 1929 and added second-year courses in 1932, when the school became a two-year junior college. In 1988, the name of the college was changed to Southwest Mississippi Community College to more accurately reflect the mission of the institution in meeting the various educational and public service needs of its district.

Still located on its original site, Southwest continues to grow and develop. The campus, located on a sixty-acre plot, includes twenty-eight buildings, a football stadium, and a baseball field. The buildings are situated around a central lake with walks, bridges, and paths connecting the buildings. The remainder of the approximately convert|855|acre|km2 is now a tree farm.

Accreditation and academics

SMCC is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the Associate in Arts degrees, Associate in Applied Science degrees and Vocational Certificates. The college holds membership in the Mississippi Association of Colleges, the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges and the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges.

Athletics

The Bears are the name of the SMCC athletic teams and their colors are crimson and royal blue.

External links

* [http://www.smcc.edu/ SMCC official web site]
* [http://www.smcc.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=114&Itemid=430 SMCC athletics]